


Broken Crown

by BuffyWoodhouse



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, F/F, Femslash, Happy Ending, Rescue Missions, Romance, The Enchanted Forest, True Love, knight!emma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-15
Updated: 2015-11-15
Packaged: 2018-05-01 16:15:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5212451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BuffyWoodhouse/pseuds/BuffyWoodhouse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Regina is betrothed to a man she doesn't love; a man who wants to make her his queen. While Cora sits by with bated breath waiting for her daughter to take the crown and the kingdom, Regina longs for her true love - the fair knight, Emma: The Savior. It's Regina's coronation day and all hope is lost of her having her happy ending. Or is it?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Broken Crown

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for an anonymous prompt on Tumblr who asked for Swan Queen and the word crown. I hope that they like it and that you all do too.

The room was idyllic. There were lilies (fitting) and roses (not so fitting) in vases scattered around the room. The drapes were of a fine silk and she was sat at the most ornate dresser she’d ever seen putting the finishing touches to her hair and makeup.

Regina stared at her reflection. Today was the day: her coronation day. By sunset she would be the Queen as well as the King’s bride and then… she shuddered to think about it. All that would be left then would be to consummate the marriage and that didn’t bear thinking about.

She thought about the ceremony as she examined her purple dress. The crystal details caught the light and left patterns on the wall. The dress itself was heavy and she knew she would ache later after wearing it all day. She thought about the crown they would place on her head and whether it would be heavy too – both literally and figuratively. She didn’t really need to ask that question, in all honesty. It could be made of cotton candy and Regina knew it would still weigh her down.

She didn’t need a crown to be happy. She didn’t need jewels or finery. What she needed was _love,_ and love was something she would not have here. Not with this man in this cold empty castle. Regina knew what love felt like. She’d found it before with – no. She couldn’t think about _her_. Not there.  Images of her white knight with her glorious summer curls and bright smile flashed through her mind. She tried to fight them, but it was no good. Tears pricked at her eyes. _Emma._

Regina fought the urge to tear at her dress as it became even more like a prison. _Emma._ She wanted to cry, but years of her mother’s emotional torment had taught her how to hold in tears. Instead, those tears would turn to rage. Regina snatched a small porcelain ornament from the dresser and threw it against the wall. It smashed into a hundred pieces. She glared at the shattered pieces that had formerly made up a white rabbit, irritated at the new mess. They reminded her of the state of her life and she suddenly felt sorry for what she’d done. She got on her knees and scooped up the pieces to hide in the dresser drawer. If anyone saw them there would be talk, and if there was talk then her mother would hear it. She wouldn’t be pleased if the servants were spreading rumours that the new queen was short of temper and aggressive, and mother was insufferable when she was displeased. Besides, Regina didn’t want people to think ill of her. She didn’t want to be seen as the spoilt, bratty queen. If she _must_ be queen, she wanted to be a queen they respected.

“Regina?” a voice – a painfully familiar voice – calls from the window.

Regina turns sharply to see the impossible.

“Emma!” She gasps. Emma was at the window! But how could that be? Emma was gone, her mother had – “how are you here?”

Emma’s chainmail jingled as she hoisted herself up into the room.

“I’m the saviour.” She rolled her eyes. “I’m here to save you.”

“Yes, I got that!” Regina quipped. “But _how?_ Mother said-”

“I escaped,” Emma stated. Of course she had. She was Emma. She was always doing the impossible. There was a pause. “You know, it’s customary to _kiss_ your girlfriend after she escapes a dragon infested dungeon and certain death to save you from a loveless marriage. I mean-”

Emma didn’t get a chance to continue as Regina has already yanked her forward for a head spinning kiss.

“I love you.” Regina beamed when they broke apart. She couldn’t believe it. Perhaps she’d started hallucinating in her desperation but everything certainly _felt_ real. She breathed in the sweet scent of Emma’s neck. “I thought you were dead.”

“Me too.” Was all Emma said before she kissed her cheek.

They stared at each other for a moment.

“What’s the plan?” Regina smirked. Whatever Emma had planned it was going to be reckless and risky, but it would work, she was sure. Emma was The Saviour. Things had a way of working out for her as she’d just demonstrated by not _dying_ in her mother’s hell dungeon. No one, save Emma, could survive that.

“We need to get out of here. Red and Mulan are waiting in the woods with the horses.” Emma whispered into her ear.

“Then what?”

“I don’t know.” She chuckled. “Anything you desire.”

Regina’s breath hitched at the thought. She saw her and Emma and a house and horses and passionate nights and sleepy mornings. She dreamt of safety and warmth. She felt hope for happiness for the first time in days.

“Let’s just get through today, yeah?” Regina said instead. Emma nodded. “So how exactly are we getting out of here?”

Emma bit her lip.

“ _Emma.”_ Regina scowled. She didn’t like that look one bit.

Emma dropped her satchel on the dresser and pulled out a dress. “I need you to put this on, and drink this potion.” She held up a peasant’s outfit and a tiny silver vial of liquid. “No one will know it’s you.”

“How so, Swan?” Regina didn’t like this one bit. Her face scrunched up in distaste already anticipating what Emma wanted her to do.

“It will disguise you. You’ll look like uh… an old lady.” Emma said quickly. “But there’s an antidote. Mulan has it. We just need to get to the woods.”

Regina wanted to protest, but one look at Emma’s hopeful face quietened all her doubts. She couldn’t refuse that face.

“What about you?” Regina quirked a brow.

“I have my ways.”

“ _Emma._ ” Regina glared.

“Trust. Me.” And she emphasised each word with a kiss to Regina’s lips. Regina’s knees nearly gave out. She nodded, under Emma’s spell so quickly after so long apart.

Emma helped her rush out of the coronation dress, fumbling over the ties at the back.

“Damn, this is why I never wear these things.” Emma frowned trying to work out which lace to pull next.

“It’s really not that hard, Miss Swan,” Regina said, reminding herself of simpler times when she and Emma first met. She smiled softly at the memory.

“That, my lady, is your opinion,” Emma grunted in frustration before stepping away. Regina thought she’d given up at first, but then her dress pooled around her on the floor, telling her that Emma had in fact triumphed. “I win.” 

“Please don’t tell me you cut it open.” Regina glared.

“Okay, I won’t.”

“ _God,_ ” Regina exclaimed. That dress was expensive!

She stepped out of the silky fabric and turned to the new dress that Emma was holding out for her. It was so _ugly._ She wanted to stamp her foot in protest, but she didn’t. She wouldn’t show herself up and ruin the plan. She just had to bear it until they got away. Admittedly, once she put it on, she felt better than she had in her coronation dress. She felt more like her own person. The first dress had been a symbol of her oncoming oppression. _This_ felt more like liberation – dusty, damp smelling liberation, but liberation nonetheless.

“You ready?” Emma asked after she’d pulled the dress on. In her hand was the small vial filled with the potion. Regina fought a grimace.

“More than," she said instead, sounding confident. Emma smiled and kissed her fiercely. Regina assumed it was a  _'_ _til then_ kiss seeing as she was about to turn into an old hag.

“Let’s do this, then.” Emma handed her the vial and Regina, after a moment’s hesitation, knocked it back.

“Let’s,” Regina croaked before doubling over with a stomach cramp. “Oh God, that hurts,” she grumbled. A few moments later she had straightened herself up and by the look on Emma’s face it was safe to assume it had worked.

The escape itself was quite boring. Emma disappeared to some unknown place, leaving Regina to slip out the castle. Most sensibly, she avoided anywhere where she might run into someone and got out unscathed.

She managed to get to the gate just as the music started playing, signifying the start of the coronation. Regina’s anxiety levels rose thinking something was about to go terribly wrong but before long she was taking cover in the shadows, about to rush into the woods.

“Emma?!” She hissed, looking around frantically.

“Regina!” she heard someone, who was not Emma, beckon her.

“Mulan!” she smiled and rushed towards her.

“Here,” Red said as she appeared from behind a tree. She held out a second vial of potion. Regina drank it gratefully and watched her hands transform from haggard and warty to their original youthful porcelain with great relief.

“Now, where’s Emma?”

There was the sound of rustling leaves and pounding footsteps.

“Here, here, here!” Emma yelled as she ran towards them. “Go, go, go!”

Regina turned to see that Emma was being pursued by a gang of knights.

Mulan and Red reacted before she did, quickly mounting their horses.

“Regina!” she heard Emma yell and she sprung into action.

Before Regina could take stock, all four of them were riding into the forest as fast as their horses could take them.

“What the _hell_ , Swan?” Regina growled as she encouraged her horse to go faster.

“Can we not talk about this now?”

Regina assessed the situation. They were fleeing from at least nine highly trained knights on horseback.

“Sure, I’m feeling generous,” she remarked.

“They’re gaining on us!” Red remarked nervously. Regina risked looking back and they were in fact very close.

Regina started to really worry that she was going to die. No matter how fast she willed her horse to go it was no good. The knights were almost upon them. It was becoming clear that a fight was inevitable. They were outnumbered. No matter how skilled Emma and Mulan were at fighting, the four of them couldn’t take on nine knights.

“Red!” Emma yelled. “Do it!”

“Emma, I-” Red started to protest but didn’t quite finish. A second later she was yanking her horse to a halt and hopping off the back.

“ _What is she doing_?” Regina growled. Was she trying to get them killed?

“Just watch.” Emma said seriously. They continued riding until they were at least fifteen feet away when Red took off her cloak. Regina waited.

Red started running towards the men and, mid-stride, turned into a gigantic wolf. The men screamed and yelled for mercy.

“Well, that ought to do it,” Regina commented appreciatively as Red tore the knights apart. She had to turn her head soon after, though. A feeling akin to horror had started to settle in her guts at the sound of tearing flesh and gargled screams.

“We did it.” Emma sighed in relief as Mulan rushed to cover Red with her cloak once more. She transformed back into the beautiful brunette and Regina let out the breath she was holding. Just because the wolf saved them didn’t mean she wanted to hang around it… or her. Whatever.

“Let’s go home.” Mulan announced.

“Where’s that?” Regina asked, turning to Emma.

“Anywhere. We’re free.”

Regina felt her heart lift. As they rode off into the forest, at a daring speed, she felt light and giddy. She was free from the horrors of a loveless marriage and her mother’s control. She could be with Emma. She could find her home. _This_ was more important to her than any crown anyone could offer her. _This_ was her happy ending.


End file.
